Changes

I have never been one that is good with change, and yet, I need it too. I get bored easily.

Obviously, moving is a big change. A HUGE change. And when you add kids into the mix, it is quite the mountain to climb.

This move has been no different, but also different. Yeah, makes no sense, I know.

This move is the first one we have initiated. Our other moves were literally at the direction of the Lord. He told us to go, and we did.  This move was our decision, and we presented our plan to the Lord, who was just fine with it. And actually, let us know that it would be a wonderful place for us and our children, a better place.

Because we initiated the move, it has been an exciting one for us. The place we want to be, building the house we want to stay in, and hopefully our last move. I can't believe we are at this point in our lives. It is wonderful.

Thank goodness for all of these things, because they have made the move exciting. And they are what I am holding on to right now.

You see, we are in a townhome. A small townhome.  The kids are used to our big backyard, friends everywhere, and more space to roam around the house. We don't live by our ward members and the kids don't live in the district of the school they are currently going to. We are in the ward and the schools that we will be in when we move into our home.

I am used to making our house a home.  We have only upacked the necessities this time though. We do have some decor up, but it still feels weird to only be 1/2 way moved in.  We left everything that we don't really need right now in boxes. It will make the move to our new home so much easier though.

This has made the move hard.  Luckily, we are right by a park and the weather has been gorgeous! I take the kids to the park everyday to help get out some serious wiggles. If we don't get to the park, the kids are bursting at the seams and it isn't a good thing. We all start to go a little nuts.  I am pretty scared for the winter, but I am trying to take it one step at a time.

I am pretty lonely as well. I am the new kid on the block, but this time, it is not the block we will be in for long, so it is kind of hard to invest a ton into the neighborhood. The people here know we will be gone in the spring, so I don't think they care to invest much either. The people in our ward and future neighborhood are great though, and I am so excited to live by them!

The Lord has helped me a lot lately. He has inspired me to make some changes to our townhome, so that the kids have more space to play. He has helped me not to feel so lonely and has shown me that this community is amazing. I can feel in my heart and am also beginning to really see how truly incredible this place and the people here will be.  He has helped the kids make some friends here in the townhome community, and he has helped me begin to make friends in our ward. 

We signed up for a membership at the gym here, and that helps a lot as well. It is a great gym. "The Fit Stop." Cute huh.

It will also help to here during a fun time of year. It will break it up a little and help the time go faster. We have Birthday's and holiday's galore these next few months, and we are going to have a great time celebrating all of it.  We will also spend more time with family during the holidays than normal, which will be awesome.

This townhome, the lonliness, the cramped spaces, the kids with too much energy and not enough room to run, and the feeling of limbo will only feel like a small moment in time, once the house is done.

Then, we will have more room than ever before, outside and in. We will be by our ward members and neighbors that we know, the kids will live by their friends, it will be spring, sports will be starting, and we will finally be able to settle.  That is what I dream about each day, and what keeps me going through this tough spell.  It will all be worth it though, and I am going to do my best to endure this time well and enjoy the blessings we already have and are continually receiving.

One Year Older and Better Too

Ben's Birthday was Saturday. 31 and still younger, stronger, more amazing and hotter than ever!

I love holidays, but I especially love Birthdays. It is fun to have a day to celebrate a person you love. To think about them, show them love, and be grateful they are in your life.

I love Ben so much. He is my rock and my best friend. I am so grateful to be going through this life with him by my side. I am a very lucky girl. I love celebrating him on his Birthday.

We decorated the house and taped notes all over with quotes from everyone with things we love about Ben. It was cute to ask the kids what they love about Ben and to get their fun answers. He is a very loved daddy.

  The kids decided to give Ben his favorite thing for his Birthday. A few days before his Birthday, we had a snow storm. So, Mary and Sam grabbed a container and filled it with snow. We have been hiding it in the freezer.  Ben's Birthday was a bright and sunny day, with no snow, so it was great for the kids to give him snow on his Birthday. His grin was priceless.  It was so cute.

I gave him a subscription to his favorite ski magazine, and made him a crazy good chocolate cake, and William helped him blow out the candles. 

 

We also had our ward Halloween party that evening. It was our first party with the ward here in Heber.  The kids had a blast dressing up, playing games, and getting lots of goodies. Ben dressed up as a punk/nerd, and he looked great!

love the dark hair!  That is what our townhome looks like, behind him.

 I didn't dress up this year.  Not that I am a party pooper, I was just not able to think of anything.  It was really nice to get to know more people in the ward, and to have a fun night together.

We were reminiscing about last year on Ben's Birthday. Sam had a cracked skull and was also very sick. We had spent the day with the ENT specialist and at Primary Childrens getting Sam's CAT scan. I was in the middle of morning/all day sickness and very miserable. Ben had a bad allergic reaction to honey and swelled up like a balloon, and William was just getting over Hand Foot and Mouth Disease.  And never in our wildest dreams could we have thought that the very next year we would be living in Heber and in the process of building a house!

Wow!  What a year. I am glad that this year's Birthday for Ben was illness/injury free and that we are here in Heber, fulfilling a dream of ours. 

Happy Birthday Ben, I love you!

The Move

Well, we are here.  We made it!

We moved Saturday, and of course, it was bonkers.  It was kind of surreal actually.  The kids played, I took care of Luke and last minute packing and Ben and some guys loaded the truck. We were so grateful to those who came to help. We did one last sweep of the house, said goodbye to a few close friends and then hopped in the moving truck and the pathfinder and set off.

William had already been sitting in the truck, buckled and ready to go, for an hour before we drove off. He was that excited to ride in the big truck.  It was hilarious!

Then we drove through the gorgeous canyon bursting full of fall colors, in to the gorgeous valley that we now call home. I just grinned and grinned.

Some guys from our new ward were waiting for us and they helped us unload. It was no small task. We were so greatful for them as well.

The townhome we are in is really nice, and of course small.  It will be a good spot for the next little while. It is in a cute neighborhood and the view from our window is of mountains, fields, horses/cows, a barn and a big open sky. I just stare out the window several times a day and feel my heart settle and my spirit calm.  It is awesome. It is a big reason we are here...space and serenity.

The first two days were really hard unpacking and helping the kids settle. It was extremely stressfull, but we survived. Moving with a 2yr old and a 5 month old is no small task.  Mary and Sam really helped a lot though. It was fun to have them more involved.

The kids had their first day of school yesterday. I was so nervous for them and I worried all day.  I didn't want them to be all alone at recess or lunch. They both came home grinning and had a great time. They played with friends and really liked their teachers.  It was a huge relief for everyone! The school has a great feeling in it, and I love how everyone is so nice and down to earth here.  The school is a great fit.

William is beyond difficult right now. The move threw him off, and he is making life pretty miserable right now for himself and those around him.  I pray every night that he will settle in and calm down. For now though, he is the biggest challenge of the move.  If I am not careful, he can actually drive me insane before the day is 1/2 over.  It's a good thing I really love him, and that he can be cute when he wants to be.  I am ready to send him to grandmas for a month though.

It is red ribbon week, and it is really fun here in Heber. All of the stores get involved and if the kids go in and show their red bracelet, they get fun things like cookies, slushies, bowling passes, swimming passes, ect.  It has been fun for the kids to see more of the town and to get a feel for things.  Again, another fun thing about living in a smaller town. It is just more intimate and there is less "red tape," so businesses, teachers and people are more able to do fun, creative things. Everyone is so nice and personable.

We got the house decorated for Halloween yesterday, and we had our annual FHE of carving pumpkins and eating caramel apples. So our little porch is all decked out with our carved pumpkins and some decor, and our house has the Halloween vibe.  I would add pictures, but the box with the camera cord is yet to be unpacked. ;)

So there you have it.  The huge part of the move is over. Thank goodness!  I am so glad to have it behind us.  Now we just settle in the best we can for the next 5 months until the house is done.
I am already getting small glimpses of what an amazing place this is that we have moved to. I am excited for our future here. It just fits.

What's In A Home

To me, there is a house, and then there is a home.

A house is a structure used for shelter, made of materials, a base for people to live and gather.

A home is what a house becomes after memories are shared, experiences happen, a personal touch is added and love dwells.

As I contemplate this move to a new place, a new house yet to become a home, and leaving this home behind, I can't help but go through our time in this home and remember.

Remember the creating of the home. The painting, the decorating, the paint spills still in the carpet, the holes in the walls from rearranging pictures and furniture and the excitement of owning our first home.

Remember the parties, the laughter, the family gatherings, the footprints left behind.

Remember the wonderful friends made, leaving joy and happiness in my heart.  Some of the frienships sadly broken due to misunderstandings and wrongful judgements, leaving pain and sadness in their wake. The wonderful neighbors next door who turned out to be best friends for all of us.

Remember the lessons learned. The growing and stretching of my heart and my soul. Learning more about being a mother, a friend, a spouse and a daughter of God.

Remember the ward. Working with the Activity Day girls (all 27 of them). Playing the piano for the ward choir. Ben's amazing Sunday school lessons and work with the Young Men. William finally enjoying nursery and singing the songs.

Remember the winters of Ben skiing of the roof, the hard weeks of no sun, the Christmas mornings in the front room full of excitement and joy, the snow covering our lawn.

Remember the summers. Lemonade stands. Kids playing and playing and playing in the circle. My own children outside until dark, coming home smiling and dirty.  The smell of our huge roses blooming. Chatting outside with the neighbors for hours. The firework party in the circle being way better than any city firework show.

The joy of pregnancy. The hardships of pregnancy. Bringing our precious Luke home.

The kids beginning school. Seperation anxiety discovered and conquered. Mary and Sam's first day of Kindergarten.  The preschool co-op with the neighborhood.

Lots and lots and lots of gymnastics.  So much fun!  Soccer, baseball, swimming lessons, dance lessons.

Remember teaching piano lessons. The music filling our home three nights a week.  The juggle to find the time. The joy of the paychecks.

Remember the miles and miles and miles my feet have pounded throught this town. The races trained for and done. The early morning and late night runs.

Remember Golds gym, the awesome kids club ladies and Dante, Sam's good friend he made there.

Remember trying a garden. Learning to fix sprinklers. Doing a huge overhaul to make the yard the amazing place it is. Planting and growing my first flowers, and finding more joy in it than expected. Setting up our new trampoline. 

Remember the fish I accidentally killed. Getting our dog Maya. Maya getting out. The dog catcher at our door. Maya going into heat. Selling our dog Maya.  Getting the Guinea pigs and making a "home" for them.

Remember the scare of Sam's skull being fractured and the blessings of his recovery.

Remember selling the old Subaru and getting the new one.

And the memories go on.

And now the walls are bare. The personality packed. The papers signed. And this home will no longer be ours. The memories will stay, but the future here is done. I can feel it. My heart has already moved.

We are off to a new house, a new place.  A house that has yet to be built. A house that will be ours and only ours. A house in a place we have chosen. A place our spirits have already declared home. Off to a house that we will make a home.  A house we are ready to make a home.

Our home.

Up To Our Eyeballs....

in moving.

Yup, this is the week. We move this weekend.
Here is what our past week was like.

Grandma took the three oldest kids from Tuesday to Friday. It was a HUGE help. They had a great time. They went to Bear World, McDonalds, shopping, Mary got her nails done, they watched movies all snuggled in grandmas big bed, put up Halloween decorations, and so on.

I packed

and packed

and packed.

 

And of course, we did make time to enjoy only having one kid at home. We went on a date or two, watched some tv and basked in the peace and quiet. That is, until we really started missing the kiddos.

 

Luke decided to begin cutting his two bottom teeth. This has been fun. Ugh.

 

Ben and I went to Heber to meet with our realtor there and finalize our contract for our house and our lot. We were able to stand out in, what is now, our lot. It was a really cool feeling, and an experience I will never forget. I had some neat feelings touch my heart as I stood there on our piece of land and future home/life. I know it is where we should be, and where we will find happiness, fullness of life, and purpose.

 

Ben and I went to the design center to begin designing our home. Holy Moly! It was so much fun. It was the first meeting, so all we did was figure out structural things for our home. We also picked out the colors and material for the outside of the home. It was very exciting and so much fun.  I can't wait for the second meeting where we figure out the inside of the home. I walked out of that place grinning so hard my face hurt.

 

We sold our fancy schmancy couch in the piano room. I am doing a new look in our new house, and fancy schmancy is not part of it. I am going for fun, comfortable, cute, shabby chic, and furniture that I love, but that I am fine letting my kids play on. 

 

We also sold the piano this week. It is a huge pain to move, and we will be buying a new piano when we get to Heber. A really cool electric piano thingy. It is just like a normal piano, but with all sorts of fun gadgets and buttons to push. ;)

 

I got all of the paperwork done for the kids school transfer. It was a little sad pulling them out of Midas Creek. It has been a wonderful school. But, as a I talked with the administration from their new school in Heber, I got the vibe that my kids will be in great hands there as well.

 

We scrambled like crazy and finally found a townhome that we will be living in while our home is being built. We had help from the Lord and were able to find people that will give us month to month rent. That is really hard to come by, and so needed for us right now.

 

Ben and I went to Pocatello Friday night and re-united with our kids. We spend the weekend there watching conference, eating good food, and hanging out with family.

 

So, what will we be doing this week? Maybe the question should be, what won't we be doing this week?

 

More packing..lots more packing. 

 

Last minute shopping runs.

 

Chasing kids that have absolutely nothing going on this week. Oh boy.

 

Not cleaning. The guy buying our house hasn't exactly been the nicest person to work with. He has gone well over the line of pushing us and taking advantage of us. We are grateful he bought our home, and he is paying in cash, but wow, this guy sure is interesting. We feel no obligation to scrub the house for him. We won't leave it a mess, but we aren't going to white glove either.  It is actually a relief not to worry about that.

 

Three dentist appointments.

 

Loading the moving truck.

 

Driving to Heber

 

Unloading the moving truck

 

Unpacking

 

Kids start school

 

We attend our new ward. We have already met some people from our new ward and got some info about it. Sounds like it will be great. We are excited for this new beginning.

 

And so our lives go on. An ending and a beginning. The first home we owned, to a townhome and on to building a home. Going from the valley to the mountains.  Saying goodbye to this chapter and hello to the next. New friends, new neighborhood, new beginning, new life.

 

Are we ready?

 

Yes we are, and we are very excited, along with about a million other emotions.

 

And so glad to have this be our last move. This is the place.

Soccer Anyone?

The past two months have been filled with soccer practices and soccer games.At least four soccer events every week.
Mary and Sam both played this fall.

It was fun to see Sam progress from last year, and get into the game more. He was running faster and trying harder. He would get this determined look in his eye and then run as fast as he could toward the ball. He is a speedy little guy! He would kick the ball and then he would laugh or grin. It was adorable. I am so proud of him for putting in the effort and for giving it a shot. He did great! Go Blue Cannons!

Mary tried it out for the first time this season. Once she figured out how it all worked, she took off. We are learning that her base of gymnastics helps her in almost every new sport she is trying. Her endurance is amazing and she has really good running form. Her speed was a really big bonus for her. She did great and her games were fun to watch. She really enjoyed it, and we are glad that she has found something that she really likes again. Go Wildcat Crushers!

We had to end soccer a few weeks early for both kids, because of the move, but we are hoping to continue on once we get to Heber. I think this sport is a keeper in our family.